Fawakah!

In Srinan Tongo that means, "Hello," and so does "Dag" in Dutch. But by the way, when Surinamers speak to one another it could be a hybrid of three, including Hindi. The dominant cultures here are beginning to become clearer, with their own general traits and styles. It is these observations and impressions that have held my interest for being so different than any group in the USA, operating under different circumstances and using a blend of languages, that often include English. It is within the framework of these cultural observations that my most profound ponderings have lingered.

We have been befriended by a couple of missionaries who have lived here for many years and have shared their thoughts on how this county functions and survives. The history is rife with brutal oppression of the slaves, then replaced by a series of indentured servitude eras where people were imported for labor and land trade. Antiquated systems of education, language, and politics render this a third world country being manipulated by big money, big countries, and foreign policies that are using these people to drive a larger foreign machine. Western media entices the people in fashion, fancy vehicles, and technological entertainment while luring people into consumer debt and worldly consumerism. Land prices rival those of the states, but average income is around $5,000 per year. The Japanese own the car market with used vehicles for sale on most major streets. All parts are from Japan, drivers are on the right side, and the money goes directly back to Japan.

The religions here seem to form the undercurrent of how the people get along, how families work or don’t, and what children face becoming exposed to other ways of living. It’s like a cultural revolution underground. I see very devoted Hindus with prayer flags flying in their yards, while their children are living the MTV gig and sporting tattoos and American rap logo clothes, while abuse and alcoholism runs rampant...Creoles driving chopped Toyotas with flashy rims and booming stereos living in tin-roofed shacks eating rice and beans, hanging out on the streets looking for something in Rastafarianism and gangsterism, but rarely working a job to get anything. Almost every store is Chinese owned and operated and located across the street from another family-run Chinese business. They are competing with each other to the point that neither are succeeding in this Dutch speaking country. The Muslim mosques dot the landscape but are sparsely attended, small, and seem at odds with everyone else here who are more liberal with their customs and behaviors. Christianity has been here for years with the Moravian evangelists, Dutch Reformed, and Catholics owning the largest buildings, but no longer the largest congregations. The smaller evangelical fellowships are the popular churches with services in Dutch, English, and some in Srinan Tongo. The Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons are here turning many off to the name of Jesus because their message is not about grace and forgiveness, rather judgement and condemnation.

We are all students here learning more about the people and cultures around us. This is no melting pot, rather a host country to four major people groups that are trying to define what Suriname is, and is not. We are surrounded by opportunities to observe Biblical issues of idol worship, persecution, spiritualism, and hopeless selfish materialism. Pray for the people here to see what is true and right, what works, and what does not, and how they can find the solution, and restoration,  in the true God of the Bible.